Friday, 30 November 2012

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Once again my photographic skills do not do justice to this nice quilt.

I admire people who can put a variety of fabrics together, I am not good at it.

In the center of the photo is a checked square which is actually a pocket with little eyelet rings in the corners. I quilted with quite a dense panto and was bound to break a needle by hitting metal or the dense layers of the pocket flap would make the hopping foot bounce off.

Master Chaos was extreemly rude, showing suprise that I had forseen the problem and overcome it by taping a masking tape strip over the panto where the pocket was, to tell me to stop stitching. Condescending blighter!

The next quilt on the machine however was not such a happy event, as I rolled on (about 3/4 completed, SID and dense vermichelli on a cot quilt) the backing that I had not thought to be a directional print revealed itself to me, all the faces were infact facing in one direction,

the wrong one!

As this quilt came to me already layered and I can't now remember which way it was origionally before I had to unlayer it to load it, I felt I just had to make it right before it left my house. A lengthy date with the quick unpicker and now I am really pleased by how well the needle holes have closed up after a spritz with water and a good pressing. It is now loaded ready for round 2.

I am sure I have already said you learn something new with every quilt, true that! Check backings very carefully for directional prints then, look again!

Sunday, 25 November 2012

I was given this quilt ages ago and told to do what I wanted with it. This quilt has little stitcheries on it and a lovely fabric with pretty floral prints, fresh spring colours,and a narrow border with prarie points. I loved it and wanted to do an allover feather avoiding the stitcheries so it had to be stitched freehand not a panto and I didn't think my skills were up to it so it hung in my sewing room and just loved it but felt intimidated, it looked at me every day.

I had to draw it out and tried what I wanted but was still nervous. It hung so long it became an embarassment so I gave myself a talking to and loaded it and just had to do it. Once I started I did not want to stop I had so much fun and thankfully Dorothy loves it as much as I do. I chose matching thread so the quilting is very difficult to see on a picture, which is a shame.

When I gave it back I had to point out an issue, quilting always draws in the quilt and the bulk of the fabric in the prarie points has given the outer edge a bit of a wave so I think it either needs blocking or the points need pinning out of the way and dense stitching in the apricot border. Of course this did not become aparent untill after it came off the frame as it was held taught.

Every quit presents a challenge and every one you can learn from.

I think blocking might be the best option, more stitching behind may make the points stick out. Anyone got any advice or experience of prarie points?

Friday, 9 November 2012

This quilt was started some time ago at a Rocheberrie sewing day, one of those mystery things, I love them! Bring 60x 6 inch squares and 200 someother size, or whatever I can't remember, cut here, join this to that, sew here, press, repeat steps 2 to 7 and Ta da!

I used donated shirts which with hindsight was not very wise, those pieces are small and sewn on the bias and would have benefitted from some starch to stabalise them. Of course I didn't have any with me, because of that it is not very accurately pieced but never mind it is done now with the addition of border and backing fabric donated by Ruth, Thank you, I am quite happy with it. I quilted it with stars and loops, the same as the last quilt.

I do have another quilt to show but as it is not mine and the owner hasn't seen it yet I will have to wait till after Tuesday when I see her. I am holding my breath just a little bit. I really hope she likes it.When someone says "do what you like with it" they know they are going to get feathers, right?

Wednesday, 7 November 2012

On a trip to Threads and Patches ages ago I found some charm squares with buses, Guards in sentry boxes and letter boxes, at Malvern show in the spring I found some jubilee fabrics and online I found a Stained glass QAL

Sunday, 4 November 2012

A close up of the bottom right block because the quilting showed up best and is worth seeing.

A minature.

I had a lovely few hours at Duxford quilt show on Saturday browsing quilts and traders and chatting to other quilty ladies while Mr and Master Chaos looked at planes and engineering things. A perfect venue for a family day out.

About Me

I am a long arm quilter and mother to 2 smashing boys one grown up,married and living abroard and one still at home,step mum to a grown up daughter, wife to a very lovely husband. I have always lived in Rugby in Warwickshire and enjoy all fabric crafts I would like to be better organised, live in a clean and tidy house and be a better cook among countless other things.